1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an input position detection device for detecting an input position by means of an input device equipped with first infrared transceiving means and entertainment system which includes a main unit that has program execution functions and a subunit equipped with an interface and infrared transceiving means for connecting to the main unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a video game player machine which is a specific example of an entertainment system, player characters and objects and the like are displayed on a monitor device such as a television receiver connected to the main unit of the game machine, and an input controller is used to cause the characters or objects to jump and move or the like as a role-playing game, racing game or the like proceeds.
The game proceeds assuming that the player normally views the monitor device from the front. For this reason, the player is required to be positioned in front of the monitor device.
However, depending on the situation of the room in which the monitor device is placed, it may be difficult for the player to be positioned directly in front of the monitor device.
In addition, when two people each use their own input controllers to play a head-to-head type game, it may be difficult for both players to be positioned directly in front of the monitor device.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an input position detection device that can detect the input position of an input device accurately and simply, and thus detect the position of the subunit and display an image generated by the execution of a program along the line of sight centered about that position, thereby setting the point of view optimally suited to the player.
These and other objects are attained by an input position detection device for detecting an input position by means of an input device equipped with first infrared transceiving means, comprising second infrared transceiving means that sends infrared signals to and receives infrared signals from the first infrared transceiving means of said input device, and image pickup means for picking up an image in a stipulated direction. The image pickup means and the second infrared transceiving means are disposed adjacently and point in a stipulated direction, and the input position of the input device in the stipulated direction or the vicinity thereof is detected based on the difference between an image picked up by the image pickup means that contains an infrared signal for position detection from the second infrared transceiving means of the input device in the stipulated direction or the vicinity thereof and an immediately previous image that does not contain an infrared signal for position detection.
Moreover, in the entertainment system comprising a main unit that has program execution functions and a subunit equipped with an interface and first infrared transceiving means for connecting to the main unit, the main unit has a second infrared transceiving means that sends and receives infrared signals to and from the first infrared transceiving means of the subunit, and image pickup means for picking up an image in a stipulated direction disposed adjacently with the second transceiving means and pointed in a stipulated direction, wherein the input position of the subunit in said stipulated direction or the vicinity thereof is detected based on the difference between an image picked up by the image pickup means that contains an infrared signal for position detection from the infrared transceiving means of the subunit in the stipulated direction or the vicinity thereof and an immediately previous image that does not contain an infrared signal for position detection.
Here, the main unit is connected to display means that displays images generated by the execution of programs, and said infrared transceiving means and said image pickup means are disposed near this display means.
In addition, the subunit has a unique identification number and the identification number information is contained in infrared light emitted toward said main unit. In addition, the subunit has a unique identification number and when the identification number is sent from the main unit to the subunit by means of infrared signals, a determination is made as to whether or not the identification number is equal to a unique identification number.